1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an apparatus for securing a loose twine end on a round bale.
2. Background of the Invention
A typical round bale press includes a twine binding apparatus and an apparatus for securing a twine end lying on the circumferential surface of the round bale. In prior art bale presses, securing of the twine end occurs by means of a band that can be adhesive or otherwise self-adhering and that is guided to an inlet gap for the crop matter by means of two feed rollers, one being driven, and one being a guide. There, the band is detected by the rotating bale and wound thereabout. The band is separated from the supply roller by turning off the drive for the feed rollers, which causes the band to tear off. One disadvantage of this system is that the feed rollers require a discrete drive.
In another apparatus for securing a loose twine end, a loose end of the band is pressed by means of a guide device, moved by a motor, against a driven conveyor element, such as a belt, and carried thereby and brought to the circumference of the bale. The band is separated from its supply roller by a separate separating device that constitutes a strip and pointed pins arranged thereon. The guide device, which can be moved by a motor actuation apparatus, brings the band against the separating device as soon as the bale has been wrapped sufficiently, so that the band segment wrapped about the bale is separated from the remaining supply. In this apparatus, the band must first be threaded by an operator about a plurality of rollers and then introduced between the guide device and the conveyor element, which is quite a time consuming process and is prone to error.
The problem upon which the invention is based is to provide an apparatus for securing a loose twine end to a round bale in a manner that is an improvement over the prior art.